# Circle Communities vs Heartbeat Chat

The clearest difference is rating: Circle Communities at 4.9 against Heartbeat Chat's 3.9. Circle Communities also leads on review sentiment (65% vs 39%) and ratings volume (84K vs 119). Heartbeat Chat's advantage is monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Circle Communities holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Circle Communities has 84K ratings behind it against 119, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Circle Communities's written reviews are positive against 39% of Heartbeat Chat's.

Circle Communities ships an update fortnightly, Heartbeat Chat every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Circle Communities | Heartbeat Chat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (84K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circle-communities/id1509651625/reviews)** | [3.9 (119 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heartbeat-chat/id1540206041/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **84K** | 119 |
| Positive reviews | **64.8% of reviews** | 39.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#73** | — |
| Size | 52 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [CircleCo Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1509651624) | [Heartbeat Chat, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1540206043) |

## What reviewers say

### Circle Communities

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circle-communities/id1509651625)

**Currently charting:** #73 Top Free · Social Networking (US App Store)

Stay connected with your online communities on the go. This app lets you participate in discussions, join live streams, and track events for any Circle.so community you're a part of. Never miss an update from your creators or fellow members.

**Highlights:** Community discussions, Event tracking, Live stream hosting, On-the-go access, Message notifications

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🤍 Very Clear
- 💫 Great layout and easy to understand
- 👍 Simple and easy to navigate
- 🤸‍♂️ Great community and networking platform
- 🥰 Supportive and helpful community

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unstable software with crashes and bugs
- 🤔 Non-intuitive and unintuitive design
- 🔒 Limited admin functionality on mobile
- 🤯 Frustrating text editing and cursor issues
- 🤖 Glitchy video playback and freezing issues

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Disappearing messages and notifications
- Inability to access certain communities
- Malformed data errors and login issues
- Compatibility problems with older devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to save draft posts and comments
- Improved text editing and cursor control
- Better video playback controls and functionality
- Syncing notifications and activity across devices
- More customization and personalization options


### Heartbeat Chat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heartbeat-chat/id1540206041)

Build and manage your online communities with a versatile platform.  Engage members through chat, voice, and video, and create a knowledge base for lasting discussions.  Integrate with other tools to automate actions and track growth.

**Highlights:** Customizable channels for chat and posts, Voice rooms for real-time conversations, Presence indicators for a shared room feel, Knowledge base creation from discussions, Integration with Zoom, Google Calendar, Salesforce, etc., Automated community match-ups and intros, Permission management and payment processing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 🚀 Fast and streamlined experience
- 💡 Great for community building and hosting
- ✨ Elegant toggling between memberships
- ✅ User-friendly features for admins

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy and buggy performance
- 🐌 Slow loading times
- ❌ Difficult login process for users
- 📱 Poor iPad optimization
- ⚠️ Invasion of privacy concerns

**Reported bugs**

- Audio playback stops when phone locks
- Users struggle with logging in
- App is not optimized for iPad, especially in landscape view
- Invasion of privacy concerns regarding photo access
- Notifications are inconsistent and important messages are missed

**Requested features**

- Allow audio to play while phone locks
- Improve iPad optimization, especially in landscape view
- Fix the app icon to not resemble a dating app
- Allow users to change their RSVP to an event after confirming
- Enable users to join public threads via the app


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Circle Communities free?

Circle Communities is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Heartbeat Chat free?

Heartbeat Chat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Circle Communities or Heartbeat Chat?

Circle Communities is rated higher. Circle Communities averages 4.9 out of 5 from 84K ratings, while Heartbeat Chat averages 3.9 from 119 ratings.

### Do Circle Communities or Heartbeat Chat have ads?

Neither Circle Communities nor Heartbeat Chat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Circle Communities or Heartbeat Chat?

Circle Communities ships an update fortnightly, and Heartbeat Chat every 5 weeks. Most recently, Circle Communities was updated on September 24, 2026 and Heartbeat Chat on September 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*